VIDEO: Cushendall man battles for better sporting facilities in Glens

David McKeegan is campaigning to improve sporting and leisure facilities in the Glens.

Published:06:00Monday 09 November 2015

A Cushendall man is campaigning to improve sport and leisure facilities in his hometown and the Glens, because he’s fed up with travelling miles for a kick around.

David McKeegan, 19, and his team mates at Cushendall FC, have to travel 25 miles to Larne for practice every single week.

The team are forced to undertake an hour-and-a-half round trip for an hour’s training session.

David, who is also a youth worker, is campaigning for a local all-weather pitch, which he thinks would benefit the whole community.

He says: “The situation isn’t great here.

“There’s just a complete lack of facilities when it comes to sport, which is a shame for many young people like me.

“Something like an all-weather pitch would be massive boost to this area and provide a place for the community to come together and be happy.”

A government report ‘Start Active, Stay Active’ outlines the relationship between physical activity and health, whilst the Value of Sport Monitor gives evidence about the psychological benefits of exercise.

In order to see these benefits in his community, David is working with Fixers, the charity that gives young people a voice, to produce a short film about the state of sport facilities in his local area.

David says: “The film is great. Many people around Cushendall have tried for a long while to get better community sports facilities in the area.

“I think that this film is our best chance of finally getting the job done.”

David plans to use the film as part of an online petition, before presenting it to members of the local council.

He says: “I look forward to taking the film to decision makers and hearing what they have to say.

“The idea is to bring everyone together, help them realise their true potential and make the community a happier place to be.”

Fixers works with young people aged 16-25 across the UK and provides them with resources to help them campaign on issues they feel strongly about.

The charity has helped more than 17,000 youngsters across the UK to have a voice in their community.

Fixers aims to work with more than 70,000 young people by 2020 and to do this needs to raise funds.